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Square Enix Dates, Details Front Mission Evolved

Sixth console game in the Front Mission franchise brings 3D to the mix.

Five years after releasing Front Mission: Scars of the War on the PlayStation 2, Square Enix is preparing to launch the sixth chapter in its classic mech franchise. Front Mission Evolved is set to ship for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PCs on September 17.

Square Enix made the announcement this morning, describing Evolved as "the first of its kind in the series" thanks to an optional 3D mode.

"We're excited to be releasing this intense new chapter in this classic franchise and invite existing fans and gamers new to the series to enjoy all the action that Front Mission Evolved has to offer," Larry Sparks, Square Enix VP, said in a statement.

In Evolved, players will take control of a fully customizable humanoid war machine, the Wanzer. The third-person action shooter is set 50 years after the events portrayed in Scars of the War. From Square Enix:

The year is 2171. Humanity has reached for the stars once more. Keen to seize a controlling stake in this as yet unconquered region, the global superpowers have raced to build orbital elevators, swiftly turning the emptiness of space into a tangle of surveillance satellite networks and military way stations. Back on the surface, while nations no longer engage in all-out war, border skirmishes have become more frequent. On these ever-shifting front lines, armored humanoid battle vehicles - code named Wanzers - have proven to be the unrivaled kings. History taught us that wherever humanity goes, war is sure to follow, and in this tech age, there is nowhere man cannot go.

Sharkey says: Return of the Mechs? Microsoft is also putting together a reboot of the venerable Mech Warrior franchise, so it looks like we'll be seeing a great many more mechs in our gaming future.